Apparatus for roasting and treating sorghum and sugar-cane



(No Model.)

A. J. ADAMSON. APPARATUS POR ROASTING AND TREATING SORGHUM AND SUGARGANE.

@@wezor; @f2/"wmf ma@ Patented. May .20, 1890.

'me mams 51ans co.. Fumo-mno., wAsHmamu, u. c.

Nrrn rares Arent ANDREW J. ADAMSON, OF SABETIIA, KANSAS.

APPARATUS FOR ROASTING AND TREATING SORGHUM AND SUGAR-CANE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 428,439, dated May 20,1890.

Application tiled June 22, 1889. Serial No. 315,275. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. ADAMsoN, ot' Sabetha, in the county of Nemeha and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Apparatus forRoasting and Treating Sorghum andSugar-Cane; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus for drying, roasting, and purifyingsugar-cane.

The Object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for heating androasting sugarcane and thereby purifying and freeing the same from allforeign substances and animal and insect life, so that the cane will bein a pure and clean condition When passed into the mill or cutter, andalso to provide a simple, cheap, and effective apparatus for the abovepurpose, quick in its operation and requiring no skilled operators.These objects are accomplished by and my invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and in combinations of parts more fullydescribed hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinalvertical section of the present apparatus. Fig.' 2 is a top plan of thesame with the oven removed. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 4 is across-section. Fig. 5 is a detail plan of an enlarged portion of theconveyor, and Fig. 6 is a detail perspec- 'tive of a section of theoven-walls.

In the drawings, the referenceletter a indicates afurnace, havingaseries of lire-boxes and grate-bars b located beneath and opening into asingle elongated horizontal heating flue or coinbustionchamber c, havingthe smoke pipe or exit d at one end, so that the products of combustion,dac., from the various fire-boxes must travel through said chamber c-andaround the roasting-chamber to the exit therefrom. The smoke and gasesfrom the combustion-chamber and the oven pass off through the sameuptake. A continuous heating passage or oven c is formed longitudinallyand horizontally through said heating and combustion chamber and is openat the ends, as shown, and this oven is formed by a series of D-shapedsections f, open at each end and placed end to end, as shown, and havingimperforate bottoms and convex perforated upper walls; and this oven, orsections thereof, is supported directly above the tire-boxes and in thecombustion-chamber by brackets g. A covering of sand-ash or the like maybe put outside the furnace-arch to prevent radiation and retain theheat.

Sprocketwheels 7L 7L are mounted in vertical planes at each end of thefurnace a and are of sufficient diameter to extend from the plane of theopen ends of the ovens to the open ends of alongitudinal passage t'beneath the furnace. These sprocket-wheels carry and operate an endlessconveyer extending and traveling through the lower portion of the ovenaround the sprocket- Wheels and through the passage i beneath thefurnace. The conveyer is composed of a pair of parallelsprocketchainsjj, connected at intervals by a series of cross-bars 7c, riveted to earsl, secured to or form ed with the links of each chain. Vire rope orchain conveyer may be substituted for the sprocket-chain if founddesirable.

In operation motion is imparted to the pair of sprocketwvheels at oneend of the furnace to impart motion to the conveyer, so that it willtravel through the oven from that end. A gear-connection is made at theother end of the conveyer on the sprocket-wheel, so that the mill may berun by the same power that Works the conveyer. The sugar-cane or sorghumis longitudinally laid on the conveyer at one end of the oven, so as torest on the cross* bars thereof, and is slowly carried throughout thelength of the oven, Where it is puriiied. The heat from the tire-looses,transmitted through and passing up around andv over the oven, willquickly kill and destroy any animal or insect life that may be on thecane and will also destroy all foreign vegetable matter, dust, leaves,&c. By this process the joints of the cane, which usually contain aquantity of dirt and insects, are roasted out, and the cane is deliveredinto the crushing-rollers or cutters m ofthe sugar-mill in a cleansedand purified condition.

This device can be used for sorghum or IOO other purposes. Theperforations in the top wall of the oven allow the smoke, tbc., from thelcane passing through the oven to escape into the combustion-chambcr ofthe furnace, and these perforations also allow the heat in thecombustion-chamber to have full effect on the cane.

Of course it is evident that some other source i f heat might beemployed for the oven, and that changes might be resorted to in the formand arrangement of the parts described Without departing from the spiritand scope -of my invention; henceI do not Wish to limit myself to theprecise construction herein shown and set forth.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. In an apparatus for roasting sugar-cane, the combination, with afurnace having an elongated combustionchamber and an inclosed horizontaloven exten ding through said chamber and having a perforated top Wall,of an endless traveling conveyer extending through said oven and adaptedto convey sugar-cane through the oven and deliver the same to asugar-mili, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth,

the combination of a furnace having a hori- Zontal combustion-chamber inthe upper p0rtion and fire-chambers beneath and opening into the same,an inclosed horizontal oven extending through the combustion-chamber andhaving an impcrforate bottom above said fire-chambers and a perforatedtop, and traveling conveyer extending` through said oven, for thepurpose set forth.

3. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of thehorizontal colnbustionchamber having means for heating the same, aninclosed oven extending through said chamber and consisting of a seriesof sections placed end to end and supported by brackets, each sectionbeing D-shaped in cross-section and having an imperforate bottom andperforated top, and' the traveling conveyer 'eX- tending through theoven7 substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two Witnesses. f

ANDREW' J. ADAMSON.

lVitnesses:

O. E. DUFFY, C. M. VERLE.

